Interesting Posts and Articles #239

1. On the Main Line points out an argument to establish a Jewish school for girls, in 1861, in order to combat the spread of Chassidus in Russia.
   
   
2. Remember that story a short time ago about the guy in the coma for 23 years, who now woke up, and claims that he merely had locked-in syndrome, but was fully awake? Well, if you watch the CNN video, his purported "communication" is via FC, facilitated communication. And it looks like it is the facilitator who is communicating. See below:
   
   
   And Wired takes note of this.
   
   
   
3. Vos Iz Neias links to a COLLive (Chabad) article about how the RCA rejects as members those who believe in mashiach from the dead:
   

   The clause states: "By checking this box and with my signature below, I affirm that the following resolution, adopted at the RCA's 1996 Annual Convention, reflects my beliefs:
   
   "In light of disturbing developments which have recently arisen in the Jewish community... declares that there is not and never has been a place in Judaism for the belief that Mashiach ben David will begin his Messianic mission only to experience death, burial and resurrection before completing it."

   For a moment there, despite my thinking that meshichists are silly and have silly beliefs, and my thinking that the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who died, is certainly not mashiach, I wondered whether I would be able to sign such a statement. But then, I noticed that they mentioned "will begin ... only to experience death", etc. The idea being that they won't reject someone who says that it is possible that King David, or Daniel, or Menachem ben Chizkiyah, could return from the dead and begin a messianic career. But Yushke, or Shabtai Tzvi could not, because they began their messianic career. And Hashem would not disappoint the Jewish people like that. And this works out well with Bereishit Rabba on Vaychi, and with Rambam about knowing how someone is certainly not mashiach.
   
   
4. The Jerusalem Post on the potential dangers of compact florescent lightbulbs.
   
   
5. DovBear does not like the appeal for tips from his kids' school. Also discussed at In the Pink.
   
   
6. A recent story is about how Google took down from its image search a picture of Michelle Obama modified to look like a monkey. But while I see how it can be interpreted as offensive and racist, and indeed it would be if it were intended as such, in fact it seems that there is a much more innocuous explanation for it.
   
   As FlyStyleLife points out, this image originated at a rather stupid website called celebrityape.com. And they take all sorts of celebrities and politicians, both black and white, and make them into apes. For example, here is Barack Obama as an ape. But here is Cindy McCain as an ape.
   
   On the other hand, if someone then takes that image and deliberately uses it for racist purposes, then that is indeed terrible and ought to be condemned.
   
   
7. Bad 4 Shidduchim wonders whose wedding it is anyway, and how she had to retract from having a fishbowl as a centerpiece.
   
   
8. At Yeshiva World, A chareidi family under investigation for abandoning the children. The mother went off to give birth, the father went off to central Israel to work, and they left the 14 year old in charge, as far as I understand for a few days. This might be a matter of differing cultural attitudes.
   
   
9. Here at parshablog, my roundup of posts for parshas Vayeitzei.